Faces of Life
by renagirl9
Summary: But what I remember most when I think about Bella, was her laugh. Bella could laugh – not giggle like Cissy , not snort like me – but laugh like the world was made for her amusement. A series of drabble-like pieces on the people in Andromeda's life.
1. Bella

**Bella**

I remember Bella, miss her from time to time (not that I would ever admit it). Bella as I remember her was the leader. Two years older than I, she was always in charge of the games we would play. She would constantly change the rules, making impossible for her to do wrong. Bella could never accept being wrong, _never._ She always got what she wanted, not only because we were all spoiled but because she was unable to take no for an answer – at least not without revenge. Father was really the only person she would listen to. Out of all of us girls, he disliked Bella the least, and were she male, she would have been the apple of his eyes. She craved his attention (well, really, she craved attention period) and hung onto his every word.

But what I remember most when I think about Bella, was her laugh. Bella could _laugh _– not giggle (like Cissy), not snort (like me) – but laugh like the world was made for her amusement. (To her, it probably was.) Bella's laughs were genuine and warm and they made you want to laugh with her.

But those laughs died with her – the day she joined up with Voldemort.


	2. Bellatrix

**Bellatrix**

I separate them in my mind – Bella and Bellatrix- because they are not the same, not to me. Bellatrix was synonymous with worlds like soulless, murderess, insanity. Bellatrix was a stranger to me. Bellatrix didn't laugh like Bella – she laughed a cruel, cold, mocking laugh. I didn't see exactly when Bella changed to Bellatrix, but I remember the day I realized the change. I was in fifth year, she was in seventh, and she laughed that horrible laugh…and I looked at her and realized the I didn't recognize her anymore.

(But Bellatrix was still my sister – until she murdered Sirius. And when that bitch killed my Nymphadora, well she beat out Voldemort for the top spot on my Evil Incarnate List. I must admit, I hated Molly Weasley for a while, because I wanted to take her out myself.)


	3. Cissy

**Cissy**

Cissy was always Mother's favorite. She fit Mother's image of the perfect daughter. Petite, blond, ladylike, delicate – that was Cissy. She did as she was supposed to, kept her opinions to herself. She was the doll my parents showed off at dinners – dinners that I was barred from because I was too outspoken.

But she had a hidden side to her. By the age of twelve, she had mastered the art of spreading life-ruining rumors and seeming completely innocent. She had legions of boys following her, and although she never had serious intentions with anyone other than the man Mother handpicked for her, she had a few flings and broke plenty of hearts. She also exploited her fan club. I doubt she wrote a single paper the entire time she was at Hogwarts.

Cissy never stopped being my sister. But we drifted apart. We drifted so far that we ended up on opposite sides of a deep canyon, the thread that connected us stretched thin. I wasn't going to cross over to her side, no matter what. And for Cissy, it was several decades too soon, and several life experiences too few, for her to make her way over to mine.


	4. Narcissa

**Narcissa**

A month or so after the second war ended, my (only living) sister appeared at my door. I'd been expecting her ever since the prophet reported that she had been cleared of all charges, mainly due to Harry Potter's testimony at her trial. Wordlessly (I didn't trust my voice right then), I let her in, got her tea, and then left to calm Teddy down (the doorbell had woken him from his nap). She followed.

When she saw the baby (Nymphadora in minature), she whispered, "He looks like him." She wasn't talking about Remus.

I spoke for the first time, almost choking on tears. "His mother took after her father." If I'd used names, I would have collapsed.

Narcissa (because this woman before me was too changed to be Cissy), her face expressionless, studied Teddy's face. "There are bits of you in there - the mouth, the ears. And the hair is all hers." She paused and the mask slipped from her face. Her eyes were filled with what could only be regret and pain. "I recieved every letter, every picture. I kept each one. Nymphadora was truly a beautiful women." She didn't speak another word, but her eyes asked, _Can you ever forgive me?_

I considered, for a brief moment, withholding my forgiveness. Who was she to ignore my very existence for decades, to never answer a single note, to come here and remind me of all I had lost - and expect to be forgiven? But she was my sister...my only sister, now. I didn't know this woman anymore, but if I was truthful, I wanted to. I wanted more family than an infant grandson. I didn't want to be alone.

And really, what was her crime other than loving the wrong man and protecting her son? I couldn't fault her for that.

"I forgive you." My words surprised her. In her world (the world Ted pulled me out of), forgiveness, trust, acceptance were things that were never given freely.

We didn't speak very much after that, only to continue observing Teddy. When he fell back into sleep, she left, but not without assuring me that this was not a one time visit. (I wasn't sure if I believed her)

Long after she walked down the walkway and out of sight, I stood at the door, deep in thought.

I had regained a sister in Narcissa that day, but Cissy (the vain, playful, manipulitive girl I had known and loved) had been destroyed by the very events that brought her back to me.

**A/N: This is the longest yet, and i know it's too long to be a drabble. (453 words to be exact) I hope it's as good as the other chapters supposedly were, so please review and tell me your opinion.**


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